Not Like the Movies
by xMissMacaroni
Summary: Valentine's Day was never a day of romance for Kurt or Blaine; at least it hadn't been for seven years. Some things change, though. And sometimes it's exactly like the movies.


So this was pretty much inspired by Katy Perry. I absolutely adore her, and her performance last night on the Grammys was amazing. If you watched, or if you happen to own her album, you'd know that this fic was kinda inspired by "Not Like the Movies." That song gives me hope, man.  
I originally wasn't going to post anything tonight, because i'm not a fan of Valentine's Day, but Darren Criss' new photoshoot for OUT Magazine, and Katy Perry, changed my mind. So please read, enjoy, and even leave a review, if you like.

* * *

Kurt tried.

He _really_ tried.

But honestly, he was done trying. After all of these years of trying to be open and excited to meet new people, he just couldn't keep up any longer. He had no desire to keep looking for someone with whom he could fall hopelessly in love with; have his fairytale ending with. Every man that had ever had potential seemed to lose that spark by the second or third date. Call him crazy, but Kurt was looking for the movie cliché that would smack him in the face when the right guy came along. He deserved it after all he had gone through when he was younger. He deserved nothing short of amazing.

And honestly, he had found it quite a long time ago. Kurt knew what it felt like—to be in the presence of the person that was made perfectly for him. He knew what it felt like to come undone by a simple look. It was the best thing Kurt had ever felt in his life. Even though he had been young and inexperienced, he had fallen in love with the one boy that made his world a little brighter, a little more stable, and hell of a lot better. He had been convinced that the love he felt could surpass any other feeling in the world; the love he was willing to give could stand the test of time a thousand times over. It was true love—the perfect Disney kind.

It hadn't gone anywhere, though.

As much as he tried to hint at his feelings, Kurt simply could not seem to make them connect to the object of his affections. Sure, that one Valentine's Day—their first since knowing each other—he had pretty much spelled it out for the other boy, and for a moment he thought that things would change between them, be it for better or worse. But things didn't change at all. They continued to be best friends that got coffee together, watched musicals and movies together, spent far too much of their free time together. They understood one another on a whole new level, but aside from that, nothing changed.

Looking back on his high school years, Kurt supposed that staying friends was the best thing they could have done. After all, if they had been foolish and jumped into a relationship then when Kurt hadn't come to know any other gay guys, who knows what kind of damage could have been done to the both of them if feelings ended up changing? He knew they certainly wouldn't still be best friends today. Besides, those years of his youth had ended up being a pretty big turning point in his life. He had, after all, over come the adversity of bullies at school and closeted homophobia of everyone else. Hell, he had even ended up getting his first boyfriend—though it hadn't lasted very long because it just didn't feel the same the love he secretly held onto—and somehow managed to win the title of Prom King. Without the help and support of his best friend, he didn't think he could have managed any of those things.

For some reason, though, Valentine's Day had never struck Kurt as a day to be spent with a boy he'd recently started talking to. For some reason, he'd always find himself single around Valentine's Day. And for some reason, so did his best friend. Instead of spending the day swooning in the ridiculous amount of red and pink, Kurt found himself enjoying a friendly coffee with his best friend, talking about the tackiness of such a holiday, and even singing one or two songs in a cafe in memory of their first Valentine's Day spent together as friends. For some reason, Valentine's Day was their day.

Now, seven years later, Kurt found himself staring at his calendar with a frustrated expression. Slashes had been drawn through the little boxes of each day, giving him a more solid visual of how the months were passing. February was a particularly short month, but it seemed to be dragging on forever as Kurt marked off each passing day. He was now staring at today's date, the 13th, with narrowed blue eyes. It was the day before Valentine's Day and he found himself without any plans for the 14th. It didn't usually bother him because he never had significant other to spend it with, but he had always had his best friend. And as far as Kurt could tell, he didn't have him this year. Not one text; not one call to see if they were going to do anything that day. As immature as it was, Kurt felt upset that they hadn't talked about meeting up for their usual Valentine's Day events. He couldn't blame his friend, though; this was the first time in a long time that the other man had found himself involved with someone around that time of year.

Kurt glared at his calendar for a few more seconds before turning on his heel and walking away from it. Being Sunday, he was at home in his modern-contemporary New York City apartment and not at work yelling at his fashion assistants, so there was nothing to distract him. He wasn't in the mood for watching tv, or even singing to himself. The horrible urge to sit around and mope crawled up his spine, but he refused to let it win. He couldn't start feeling this way, especially after all of the years he had tried to his more-than-best-friend feelings, because said best friend had a boyfriend. Kurt should be happy that love has made its way into the other man's life.

"You're pathetic, Kurt Hummel," he said to himself, walking into the bathroom and looking at his reflection in the mirror. "He's had plenty of boyfriends before, and so have you. You've never felt this way before, so why now? It's just another stupid day." He frowned at himself, but then stopped, trying to rub away and flatten the thin little frown lines that appeared between his eyebrows. He was too stressed if he was letting those lines appear. With a little bit of adjustments to his hair, Kurt straightened his designer clothes and walked out of the bathroom and over to the living room to grab his satchel. It was time for a distraction.

–

"I'm not sure if I can handle anymore Valentine's Days if they're going to make me miserable," said a short brunette woman as she and Kurt strolled down the ever-crowded streets of New York City. "I am in no mood to ride an emotional roller-coaster unless he's prepared to make it up to me with a marriage proposal some time soon."

Kurt rolled his eyes and took a sip of his latte. "Rachel, you and Jesse break up and get back together about five times a year. This shouldn't be anything new for you," he quipped. He heard his female friend make a small sound of understanding that still managed to sound dramatically upset. It made him sigh and look down at her with an 'I want to hit you' face. "Besides, at least he's spending it with you. Some of us don't have the luxury of a date tomorrow," he said, holding his chin up proudly as if he hadn't just said something totally depressing.

Rachel turned her brown eyes up to Kurt and raise an eyebrow. "But I thought you and—"

"He hasn't called me," Kurt cut her off. "I'm assuming he's going to spend it with that new boyfriend of his," he added, his voice a little less firm.

It was Rachel's turn to roll her eyes at him. "Oh Kurt, do you honestly think they're boyfriends? Haven't they only been seeing each other a couple of weeks?" she asked. When she received no answer, she pursed her lips and added, "I don't think he'd want to spend it with someone other than you, anyway."

Kurt looked down Rachel with a slightly confused glace. "And what makes you say that?"

A shop came up on the sidewalk that caught Rachel's attention, so he grabbed Kurt's hand and led him inside to escape the chill air outside that was starting to make her nose numb. "You're clueless, the both of you," she scolded as they walked further into what was apparently a jewelry store. "It's as if you haven't learned anything over the past seven years of being best friends," she commented, peering over glass cases that held beautiful gold and diamond rings.

Deciding to ignore the manic glint in his friend's eye over engagement rings that she fantasized her boyfriend—or ex depending on where they currently stood—would buy for her, Kurt let his own eyes browse some of the prettier pieces. "If you're going to say that he feels the same way I do, you couldn't be further from the truth. As I recall, it was his reaction to my feelings so long ago that kept us in the friend-zone."

"I'll admit, it may have been different back then, but not for very long. I swear, the moment you graduated was the moment he started looking at you in a completely different way. I saw him after the ceremony and I'm a professional in reading emotions," Rachel said briskly in that air of superiority that she always carried about her.

Kurt rolled his eyes again, but couldn't help feeling that bubble of hope rise in his chest. "I'll believe that when he comes and tells me he loves me," he said, deciding not to let Rachel know she was making him excited over something that would most likely not happen.

"I'll be expecting your call tomorrow night, then, so you can tell me all about it," she countered, smirking a little as she kept her eyes trained on the jewelry before her.

With narrowed eyes, Kurt glanced in her direction. "I'll make sure you're the last to know, Berry."

"You wouldn't!" Rachel gasped, looking up at Kurt with wide eyes. She really cared about gossip.

Kurt smirked at her and turned to walk off, satisfied at ruffling the little diva's feathers a little bit.

–

The 13th came and went, and slowly but surely, so was the 14th. Kurt had spent most of his time at work cooking up new fashion designs for an upcoming show that would be featuring his pieces, so he was plenty distracted during the day. But then evening rolled around and Kurt found himself sitting in his apartment, alone, with some sappy romance movie showing on television. He was about ready to go fetch some ice cream to eat all by himself until he heard a knock on his door.

Quickly looking himself over in the mirror to make sure he was presentable, he waltzed over to the door and opened it, unsure of who would be bothering him this evening. The first thing he saw was a head of messy, but still somehow classy-looking, dark curls. Then immediately after he was looking to a pair of more-amazing-than-simply-hazel eyes that were currently squinted a bit due to the smile that was stretching across the person's face.

Kurt blinked a couple of times before he managed to overcome the initial shock of seeing his best friend at his door. "Blaine," was all he could manage to say.

"You sound surprised to see me," Blaine chuckled, raising a dark eyebrow while letting his eyes drift over Kurt's body for a moment.

Kurt pursed his lips and crossed his arms over his chest. "To be honest, I am," he said in a neutral tone. "You didn't call or let me know we were doing anything tonight."

Blaine rolled his eyes, a smile still on his face. "Come _on_, Kurt. We've done this exact thing for seven years now. I didn't think I still had to call."

A smile tugged at the corner of Kurt's lips, but he kept it down because he was just a tad upset with his best friend. "Well calling ahead of time is the polite thing to do. What if I had made plans? You can't just assume this kind of thing."

Blaine's smile fell and his shoulders slumped slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you...I mean, I could leave..."he said, sounding a little hurt.

Kurt's chest tightened as Blaine made to start walking away, so he reached out and grabbed his friend's arm. "I didn't make any plans, Blaine," he said, rolling his eyes. "You know I never do."

Blaine's smile returned and he let out a breath of relief. "Okay, then. Shall we get going? I kinda went ahead and made reservations for somewhere a little different," he said, and Kurt could almost pick up on a hint of nervousness by the end of his sentence.

Looking over Blaine's casual, yet still classy, outfit gave Kurt the impression that they weren't going anywhere too fancy, so he decided not to change into different clothes. He quickly dashed into his apartment and grabbed his bag before locking the door and heading out of the building with Blaine. Their walk down to the street was short and silent, as well as the cab ride over to the little Italian restaurant that Blaine had picked out for the night.

The two were seated in a nice little booth near the back of the room. As Kurt began to look over the menu, Blaine spoke. "So how was the day?" A casual conversation starter.

"Good," Kurt said, turning the page and studying the different dishes. "Amy managed not to destroy any of the sewing machines, and Robert kept himself out of my way for most of the day," he elaborated, talking about his young, annoying assistants.

Blaine laughed lightly, looking over his own menu. "I think Amy's been getting better. I mean, from what I saw when she first started, to last week, she's been pretty good," he paused and looked up at Kurt with a smirk. "She may even be acquiring a bit of your attitude. You should have heard her when I stopped by for lunch that day."

Kurt smiled slyly, looking over the top of his menu to Blaine. "That's an entirely good thing. She needs to stop being a pushover."

"And Robert needs to learn how to be on, I suppose," Blaine commented, his smirk widening as Kurt's nose scrunched with distaste.

"Yes. He is far too confident, especially around me. Can you believe that he had the nerve to ask me to get _my_ coffee _with him_? Honestly, he has to learn how to do whatever I say and not be a smartass about it," Kurt snapped.

Blaine laughed again and set his menu down, having decided what he wanted. "Maybe it's because he likes you. Every time I stop by he's always very pleasant to you, and a little less than friendly to me," he said, not 'tattle-tailing' on the boy, but merely commenting on his behavior. "He's got a crush on the boss," he added in a teasing manner.

Kurt scoffed. "Please, like I'd ever even give that a second thought."

"Why? You might end up liking the kid," Blaine said, still teasing.

Kurt raised an eyebrow as he set his menu down as well. "One, he wouldn't last a minute with me outside of the working environment. Two, my feelings are already occupied. Three, the fact that you just said 'kid' would make me feel like a pedophile."

Things got quiet for a moment before Blaine spoke again, a small smile on his lips. "Your feelings are occupied, huh? Who's the lucky guy?" he asked.

Kurt studied his friend's face for a moment, noticing immediately that his bright eyes dimmed just a bit. He was putting up a front that Kurt knew all too well. What he was trying to hide behind his eyes, Kurt wasn't sure, but he knew it was something. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know, Anderson," he said with a small smirk. "My feelings are of no importance right now, though. Tell me about this boyfriend of yours. So close to Valentine's Day is a time you usually aren't interested in anyone," he said casually.

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "We aren't boyfriends, Kurt. We've only been on a few dates. And honestly, there isn't much between us," he said simply.

Kurt leaned across the table a little bit with a teasing smile on his face. "I remember a long time ago that you were positively Gaga for that GAP employee after just a few dates."

Blaine's cheeks reddened and groaned, rolling his eyes. "Oh God, Kurt don't bring that up. It wasn't one of my better moments," he said, clearly embarrassed that Kurt still remembered that and chose to tease him about it.

Kurt laughed and gave his friend a warm smile. "Oh come on, you were young. You're allowed to be stupid at that age. Besides, that whole fiasco is what started this, so it can't be all bad," he said, waving his hand around when he said 'this,' referring to their outings on each Valentine's Day.

A charming smile graced Blaine lips as he looked over at Kurt. "No, I guess not," he was all he said.

The waitress came by a few moments later and took their orders. The two continued to have innocent conversation while they waited for their dishes, and also while they ate, though that was a bit quieter. After they had finished, Blaine insisted on staying for some dessert and coffee, and Kurt of course agreed. When their coffee arrived, they fell into a comfortable silence, looking around at the rest of the people in the restaurant, observing many couples. Kurt's eyes softened as he saw two young teenage boys across the room, whispering and smiling amongst each other.

Blaine seemed to pick up on what Kurt was gazing at, and he too smiled softly at the sight of the two boys. He then turned his eyes to Kurt and studied him for a moment before asking, "How long are we going to keep doing this?" without thinking.

Confused, Kurt looked over at Blaine and tilted his head to the side. "Doing what?"

Blaine was silent for a moment, considering his words carefully. "This," he said, motioning between the two of them.

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I don't underst—"

"Yes you do, Kurt," Blaine cut him off, looking at him with the most intense expression Kurt had ever seen him wear. "How long are we going to dance around the reason we're both single every Valentine's Day? How long are we going to pretend that things haven't changed?"

Kurt was a little taken aback by Blaine's sudden forwardness, but he wasn't going to let it get to him. "Things _haven't_ changed, Blaine. They've been the same for _seven_ years," he said a little harshly. The meaning behind his words held more than just their friendly Valentine's Day "dates" if you could even call them that. He was implying his feelings for the man in front of him haven't changed, either.

Blaine rubbed his eyes as if he was tired. "No, things _have_ changed. Don't you think it's just the slightest bit odd that we're always free for each other on this night? Even if we've been dating someone prior—something always comes up and we always end up together on this day."

"I'm sorry if you don't want to spend your Valentine's Day with me. I didn't realize I was such an inconvenience," Kurt snapped, looking away from him.

Blaine narrowed his eyes. "Stop that. You know that's not at all what I mean," he said firmly, drawing Kurt's eyes back to his. "Can't you...feel something? Anything between us right now?" he asked, looking a little helpless now.

Kurt stayed silent for a moment, his heartbeat picking up just a little. If he was right about what Blaine was getting at, he was about to be one happy man. And an annoyed one, seeing as how Rachel would never let him live it down that she was right about this entire thing. Finally, Kurt reached across the table and held out his hand. "Honestly, I've felt it for so much longer than just 'right now,'" he said softly.

Blaine lifted his hand and grabbed Kurt's letting his thumb stroke the other man's knuckles gently. He stared at their hands for a moment before looking up into Kurt's sparkling blue eyes. "How long?" he asked in just as soft a voice.

"Since..." Kurt trailed off, debating on whether or not he should reply truthfully with _Since the day we met_.

"The day we met?" Blaine asked, his voice sounding a little hopeful.

Kurt blinked in surprise, hearing Blaine say the very words he had just thought. "Yes," was all he replied.

"To be honest, I think I have too. I was just...you know...too stupid and clueless to realize it before," Blaine said, biting his lower lip. "All this time...we felt the same way for each other..."

Kurt smiled a bit. "Don't beat yourself up about it. I'm actually happy things went the way they did. You did the right thing by not letting our emotions mix up our friendship," he said, his smile growing wider as he playfully added, "even if it hurt like Hell."

Blaine chuckled, somehow looking a lot more relieved than he had looked the entire night. "Sorry," he said, with a smile. He reached his free hand into his pocked and tossed a couple of bills on the table before he stood up and tugged on Kurt's hand. "Let's get out of here," he said gently, smiling as Kurt rose and walked with him to the door, still holding his hand.

The two decided to walk back to Kurt's apartment, enjoying the chilly evening and simply talking. Granted, they may have been talking about their pent-up feelings over the past years ("You have no idea how I hated each one of your boyfriends a little more every day!"). But they were able to talk to each other as if nothing had changed, when really everything did. They didn't notice anything about the outside world as they walked—they were too wrapped up in each others smiles and voices to care.

When they reached Kurt's apartment door, they walked in and sat on the couch, facing each other and moving to intertwine both of their hands together. For a few moments, they simply smiled and studied each other as if they were coming to terms with the fact that this was actually happening; that they were finally on the step to being more-than-best-friends.

Kurt, deciding to be the bold one, leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Blaine's. There was really no rush to kiss or anything—they both knew how the other felt—but Kurt had been imagining what that man's lips would feel and taste like for far too long to let this night slip by without a kiss. He made the first move; now it was up to Blaine to close the gap.

Blaine smiled and looked into Kurt's eyes, mesmerized by how unique their real color was, as opposed to simply defining them as blue. Their noses touched, and Blaine decided to play a cheesy card and nuzzle them as if they were eskimos. Satisfied with the giggle that erupted from Kurt's throat, Blaine tilted his head slightly and leaned forward. Both men's eyes fluttered closed as their lips met in a solid, sweet kiss.

Kurt's heart pounded in his chest as he swore he saw a light show go off beneath his eyelids. Tingles spread from his and Blaine's connected lips, all the way to his spine and down, making him shiver with delight. No kiss had ever done this for him. This feeling was precisely that cliché movie description of the perfect kiss. True love's kiss. It was fantastic.

Blaine almost gasped against Kurt's lips as his senses overflowed with everything that was Kurt. His closed eyes revealed to him a spectacular array of colors and light that would have put a rave to shame, and all he could wrap his mind around was the fact that Kurt's lips were in his, and that Kurt's hands were pulling on his so that their bodies were closer together.

After what seemed like forever, the two pulled apart, but just barely. "Did you—"

"—See fireworks? Yeah," Kurt whispered, his lips brushing against Blaine's as he spoke. The two smiled at each other, though their eyes were still closed and their foreheads were pressed together again.

"How cliché," said Blaine in a soft, yet deep and desirable voice that made Kurt shiver in response.

"Totally," Kurt said, leaning in and pressing his lips to Blaine's again. This time he parted his lips and slid his tongue along Blaine's bottom lip, which immediately caused the other man's lips to part and let Kurt's tongue explore. Their kissing was passionate, but not heated and frantic. They went slowly, sensually, taking the time to memorize each other and enjoy this bliss that they had been missing out on for far too long.

Who knows how much time had passed before the two broke apart again, this time opening their eyes to study the love shining in the other pair. They had small smiles on their lips that soon widened to stretch happily across their faces, expressing just how happy they both were. Blaine's grin stayed on his face as he gave Kurt a short peck on the lips. Then he pulled Kurt closer to him so that Kurt was practically in his lap. They disconnected their hands so that they could wrap them around each other in a perfect embrace. They fit perfectly.

Blaine inched up and kissed Kurt's ear, smiling when he felt Kurt nuzzle his neck. "I love you," he whispered.

Kurt smiled, trying to keep himself under control before he exploded with happiness. "I love you too," he whispered back, planting a small kiss on Blaine's jaw, just below his ear. This was way too movie cliché for Kurt's taste, but he knew that the cliché only meant that what they had was real. And honestly, wouldn't trade it for the world.

Because if it's not like the movies, that's how it should be.


End file.
